


Pineapple Juice Boxes (LOST FIC)

by tinypeckers



Category: The Creatures (Youtube RPF)
Genre: Gen, M/M, i'm trash, it's a kid fic, it's always a kid fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 13:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10572456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinypeckers/pseuds/tinypeckers
Summary: Jordan's children refuse to drink water, but don't worry - he's got a solution.(Originally written in 2015; minor edits done now so forgive me if it's painfully awful to read)





	

 

When the season of summer struck, so did Jordan. At the first inkling of a hot, wonderful day Jordan would be at the grocery store with a fat wallet in his pocket and a basket full of juice boxes. He brought apple, orange, pineapple – any juice that he could get his hands on. For Jordan knew that when one of his boys whined, and they were bound to, he would be prepared. Why juice? Someone had once asked Jordan, why juice and not water which you can get for free? Jordan had laughed in their face. He bought lots of cartons of juice because his boys liked them and well, in their own words, water was boring. Jordan could throw in a curly straw, a wacky glass and a bunch of ice but every single one of his boys turned their nose up at it. He could not win. It was only when Jordan presented the juice boxes that he was the most popular dad in the world.

 

 

Personally, Jordan blamed Seamus. Ever since he was young Seamus had been against water. In a weird little kid way that was never given any explanation and was never asked to. Seamus often refused to drink anything but juice, soda or on the rare occasion Jordan would let him sneak a sip – beer. Seamus had once attempted to explain why he had such a distaste for water and it had all boiled down to the fact that it ‘tastes like metal’ for some reason. Jordan hadn’t ever asked what that meant and even to this day Seamus had never bothered to elaborate. Even at the grand old age of eight Seamus could still appreciate the marvels and brilliance of such a simple thing as a juice box. In fact he was often the first one to find them, whether through big brother intuition or just simply annoying child knowledge Jordan had never quite found out.

 

 

It would be James then after, begging for a carton of whatever Seamus had got. He didn’t necessarily ever want the same flavour, James just wanted a drink and he too had such a distaste for water. James didn’t say that it tasted like metal but he liked to tell Jordan that “it tastes of nothing and I like a little flavour in my life.” Jordan had never quite wrapped his head around where his five year old had picked that phrase up. He could only imagine what crappy reality TV shows Dan was watching late at night and James managed to take a sneak peak of. It was dreadful. Unlike Seamus, James couldn’t quite reach the shelf with the juice boxes on and often had to ask someone to help him. It usually fell to his fathers, Jordan and Dan, because his older brother was selfish and often unkind. Jordan had never brought it up to Seamus for he knew that was just the way that the world worked for siblings. Seamus could be nice but sometimes he just didn’t feel like it. Jordan was not going to push him and make him feel obligated to do everything for James. That was just silly.

 

 

It was their youngest child that was Jordan’s current problem. Aleks was young and impressionable. With awful role models like James and Seamus, Jordan and Dan really had no chance of getting him to drink properly. He’d watched over and over again as both James and Seamus refused a glass of water for their different reasons. The first time Jordan had given Aleks a child-proof cup of water, it had been knocked from the high chair and onto the floor. Now that Aleks had been gifted with the power of words, he’d also developed a favourite one. It was one that haunted Jordan to this day.

“No,” Aleks would say whenever water was offered or, more accurately, handed to him. No, no, no – it was all Jordan would hear until he gave in and got Aleks some milk or one of the juice boxes he often bestowed to his brothers. Jordan hated the word no. Aleks knew that. It was probably why it was his favourite word – Aleks was a crafty little boy.

 

 

It was that time again, Jordan realised shortly before the end of the school term. The sun was almost shining in Colorado and the snow had melted. He’d anticipated it, thankfully, and did not have to run to the grocery store for more juice boxes. They had plenty that were stowed away in a specific part of their fridge. It was just high enough for James not to be able to reach and barely high enough for Seamus. Jordan rued the day that his boys grew taller and he could no longer really keep the juice boxes from them. It was the weekend, more accurately Friday and Seamus had already raided the fridge. Jordan had seen him in the living room with a pineapple juice box in his hand. There were at least two other pineapple juice boxes littered around his eldest son. Jordan had never known a child to go through so many so quickly. It didn’t matter, though, as Aleks and James were quite happy with whatever flavour they were given and as Seamus hogged the pineapple they got the leftovers.

 

Except today apparently everyone wanted pineapple.

“Dad,” James said. He leaned against the dining table, looking up at his father. Jordan attempted to return the smile. He’d been left with the boys while Dan had gone fishing with some friends. Dan had offered to take James and Seamus but they’d both pulled faces and said that it was lame. “What’s up, James?” Jordan yawned. He’d got some stuff to finish for his work and he really could not be bothered with it. For the past half an hour he had just been staring at his laptop and thinking about well, nothing in particular.

“Can I have a juice box please?” James said. Jordan didn’t waste a second, slamming his laptop closed and pushing his seat from the table.

“Yes, of course. What flavour would you like?” Jordan, taking a moment to stretch before he stood.

“Pineapple.” James said, “please.” He added before Jordan could catch him out on it.

 

 

“Pineapple?” Jordan questioned. James rarely drank the pineapple ones. Still, he reached to grab James a carton. His fingers crumpled plastic, the remains of the outer packaging Jordan was too lazy to remove. It crinkled beneath his fingers. Jordan had to shove his fingers right to the back of the package to grab the juice box. The last pineapple juice box.

“Yes, dad.” James groaned. Had his father suddenly become deaf? Would he have to learn sign language just to get a juice box? No, thankfully not. James smiled as the juice box was handed to him. He ripped the straw off and stabbed it into the carton.

“Weren’t you supposed to be watching Aleks?” Jordan closed the fridge. Dan would kill him if he lost the toddler again.

“He’s with Seamus.” James shrugged. Thank god, Jordan thought.

“All right.” Jordan hummed. He turned, stared resentfully at his laptop and when James didn’t bug him again (like Jordan wanted him to) he resigned himself to his work once more. James left sporting a triumphant smirk – both because he got his juice box and because his father didn’t make him say thank you.

 

 

It was Aleks next who came in search of the holy juice box. Jordan couldn’t see him when he entered but the door that opened by itself gave him a clue.

“Dada!” Aleks screeched. He ran into Jordan’s leg, unable to stop himself as he headed towards his father full speed ahead. Luckily, Jordan’s legs were soft.

“Hi, kid.” Jordan hummed. He lifted Aleks up and onto his knee. Aleks frowned.

“No, juice.” Aleks demanded. Oh, Jordan sighed. Of course his son hadn’t actually wanted to spend time with him. Still, a distraction was a distraction.

“What do we say?” Jordan asked. Aleks sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Please.” He murmured rather cutely.

“That’s better.” Jordan said. He lifted Aleks up and held him upon his hip as he walked to the fridge.

“What flavour would you like, we’ve got orange or green?” Jordan asked. He didn’t bother using their actual names. Aleks only knew them as the orange, yellow and green juices.

“Yellow.” Aleks said. Jordan frowned. He must have seen Seamus and James’ boxes.

 

 

“There’s no yellow left, bud – we’ve only got orange and green.” Jordan soothed. He reached for orange, usually Aleks’ favourite, and pulled it out. Aleks growled. Like, actually growled like a dog.

“No. I want yellow.” Aleks grit out through his teeth. It was more like ‘yewo’ but Jordan wasn’t about to pick a toddler up on his pronunciation.

“Well, why don’t we see if James will let you have a sip of his.” Jordan suggested. Seamus was bound to have finished his by now. Aleks nodded. Jordan closed the fridge. He didn’t put the orange back in case Aleks found that he really didn’t like the yellow one. It would be much easier to drop Aleks off with it in the living room or wherever James was than to go back and grab a new one.

“Okay then, let’s go and see if your nice and caring big brother will be happy to share.” Jordan said. He said it mostly to reassure himself for he knew that James was none of those things, even if Jordan wished him to be.

 

 

“James,” Jordan peered around the living room door, spotting Seamus and James on the couch. They weren’t kicking, screaming or throwing fits so that seemed to be a good sign.

“What?” James asked. He was too busy watching cartoons to care what his dad had to say.

“Can Aleks have a sip of your juice box? We’ve ran out of pineapple and he wants to try it. Please.” Jordan asked, jostling the toddler on his hip.

“What? No! I’m drinking it.” James protested while Seamus gasped.

“We’ve ran out of pineapple?” Seamus questioned. Jordan ignored him.

“James, it’s just one sip – please don’t be a brat.” Jordan begged. James frowned but he knew to fight Jordan on this was pointless. He’d lose. Jordan was the adult, James was the child. He’d learnt that from one too many punishments.

“Fine.” James relented. He held out the juice box. Jordan took it and held it up for Aleks to take a sip from. James glowered when Aleks ‘sip’ was more like a huge gulp. Everyone watched for his reaction.

 

 

Aleks was apathetic at first. There was no expression on his tiny face. Then it crumpled, his tongue stuck out and he made a sound best described as ‘bleh.’

“Not your thing?” Jordan smirked. He handed James his juice back. Seamus rolled his eyes. The last juice box had been wasted on both of his brothers.

“I want orange.” Aleks sniffled. Yellow was a bad, horrible taste and he never ever wanted that again. Jordan smiled.

“Here you go.” Jordan said as he offered the juice box. Aleks snatched it but Jordan didn’t bother to tell him off. James and Aleks enjoyed their juice boxes while Seamus glared at them both. He’d have to rush to the store soon enough, Seamus wouldn’t take an apple or orange juice box lightly. For now, Jordan was quite content to forget about the work that lay waiting for him in the kitchen and appreciate one of those rare moments when all of his sons got along.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I found this while searching for the CRTCampingAU (flicker/are you a campfire) and thought hey ho, let's tide you over until my exams are done with a terrible, almost three year old fic. <3
> 
> But yes, if you're on the hunt for more CRTCamping... It's coming, eventually. (I've been obsessed with treetopia again my god).


End file.
